Rare.

Yes. Beyond rare. A priceless encounter. Something once-in-a-lifetime.

Did you ever witness something so rare, so amazing, so unbelievable that you figured nobody would believe you?  Something so incredible that you wanted to race home to tell all your friends and loved ones?  

I live in western Pa.  There are not supposed to be Golden Eagles here. When I saw this beautiful bird protecting his whitetail deer find, I immediately thought it to be a Golden Eagle. But they don't live here, do they? I was awestruck by how big it was, it's bold beauty, it's orange beak. I still can't believe the hook it has on that thing! No wonder they are birds of prey. I started searching the internet. It is really hard to tell the differences between juvenile Balds and Goldens. I'm no expert. Perhaps someone reading this could tell me as my research is inconclusive. Apparently, both have been sighted here in the Laurel Mountain area. Sometimes they move through this time of year.

Regardless, Golden or baby Bald, I drove home all excited. I couldn't wait to see the pictures I got.

I usually write a pretty long read on my blog.  This encounter can only be explained by the passage of scripture I hope it leads you to.

One very special day, a Samaritan woman had a once-in-a-lifetime encounter with Jesus.

John 4:7-30,39-42

There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle? Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw. Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither. The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly. The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. The woman saith unto him, I know that Messiah cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.

And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her? The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ? Then they went out of the city, and came unto him.

And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did. So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days. And many more believed because of his own word; And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.

Just like my eagle encounter, excitement bubbled inside this woman. To know the Savior when the world desperately needs Him is like holding the eagle pictures in your hand not knowing who to show them to first. The Samaritan woman had an encounter with Jesus, one of those once-in-a-lifetime crossing of paths with the Savior of the whole world.  He held life.  She needed it.  And once she got a taste of Jesus, she couldn’t wait to tell everyone she knew.

Sometimes the joy of telling someone good news is the biggest rush we know of, as it is with me right now.

May we all have that desire to tell someone about Jesus. Whether this is a Golden or Bald, it is still the same.

Rare. Beautiful. Powerful.

In terms of love, He is the rarest form of pure love the world has ever known.

May the news of salvation reach your heart and soul today. Find Him. Invite Him. Find Jesus.

God Bless

Chuck Carr